How much space b/w ovens and fridge side by side?

breezygirlDecember 17, 2010

If placing double wall ovens next to a counter-depth, french door fridge, how much space should there be between them to ensure that the fridge door doesn't get banged up on the oven handles? I see this two appliances next to each other more and more, but how does this work?

We used to have this configuration and I hated it, but for a different reason. The fridge door never hit the oven handles, I guess because it was a standard depth refrigerator and I rarely opened it the entire way (only to pull out the doors and shelves for cleaning). My main complaint was the lack of landing area for both the ovens and the fridge. Our new configuration has 24 inches between the range and the refrigerator.

The fridge and ovens would both having landing space on the island in front. Ovens would also have landing perpendicular on the peninsula. Standard depth fridge would mitigate the door hitting issue. Thanks Trailgirl!

Well...if no one opens the oven and fridge at the same time. A friend of mine got a $400 dent in her fridge at the housewarming party when a guest opened the fridge and banged it into open oven door when she was checking something. The dented door was one of the negotiating tools the people used who bought from her soon after. (New big house, divorce soon after, can't pay mortgage,,,you know the sequence).

No, I don't have 12" to spare. Especially if I put ovens and fridge together. I was trying a different pantry configuration suggested by Bmore to try to keep from losing 12" for corner pantry framing. If I move the pantry to rectangular shape and put fridge/ovens together, I'm already losing 6". Can't afford to lose yet another 12" for a total of 18". Maybe losing just 12" to corner pantry framing is better? More thinking to do tomorrow.

I'm wondering if the pics I see of ovens next to fridges are situated with single-door fridge opening away from ovens. That would make sense. I just haven't paid attention cuz I didn't think that would be me!

I share the same concern. We have one wall that, starting in corner (not a corner cabinet), was 60" counter, 48" fridge, 30" double oven, 30" pantry. After thinking about it and hearing warnings about fridges next to ovens, we are now planning to split the pantry into two 15" pullouts on either side of the ovens. There is an island across the way for a landing area.

Doesn't sound like your situation will be as easy to solve, but I suggest considering all your alternatives.

My two wall ovens are right next to my sxs fridge. The fridge is counter depth (slide in so the door itself juts out). We went with curved door handles on the ovens so as long as the oven is closed the fridge door cannot hit the oven. If the oven door was open, the fridge door couldn't open very far but I guess is could dent the side. We worry much more about the drawers on the other side of the fridge. If one of those is open, it would dent the fridge panel if someone swung the door open. Like Palimpset said, it's guests that usually cause these denting problems because your family is usually pretty mindful.

Breezygirl, I am not sure what your configuration will be like. Behind our double ovens is the walk in pantry (the entry to that is a little further to the right.) Our refrigerator is counter depth. I have not had any issues with oven door and refrigerator door conflicts. (I don't remember every needing them both open at the same time either.) No one in the family, even the clutzy ones, seem to have had an issue with banging the refrigerator door into the stoves. The landing area for both of these is the center island, which you can just make out the edge of in the lower left hand corner. We haven't had any clearance issues with the cabinetry and the refrigerator.